Publications

intracellular bacteria encode inhibitory snare-like proteins.	pathogens use diverse molecular machines to penetrate host cells and manipulate intracellular vesicular trafficking. viruses employ glycoproteins, functionally and structurally similar to the snare proteins, to induce eukaryotic membrane fusion. intracellular pathogens, on the other hand, need to block fusion of their infectious phagosomes with various endocytic compartments to escape from the degradative pathway. the molecular details concerning the mechanisms underlying this process are lackin ...	2009	19823575
[identification and characterization of the francisella sp. strain 08hl01032 isolated in air condition systems].	to identify and characterize the strain 08h101032 was isolated from air condition systems in the routine investigations of legionella in guangzhou, china, in 2008.	2009	19835160
variable bacterial load of legionella spp. in a hospital water system.	several approved protocols for the prevention of legionella pneumonia base the type of intervention (to disinfect or not) on the level of contamination found (cfu/l). however, if the level of contamination by legionella spp. of a water system fluctuates in a short period of time, inadequate sampling could lead to different decisions being made. to determine if there are significant variations in the bacterial count of legionella spp., water samples were taken at different times from the same sit ...	2009	19836825
inhibition of legionella pneumophila pcr in respiratory samples: a quantitative approach.	impurities in complex biological samples that persist through nucleic acid preparation can inhibit pcr or reduce the sensitivity and efficiency of pcr amplification and thus affect reliable results in pcr diagnostics. to obtain information on the incidence of inhibition events and on the magnitude of the loss of sensitivity, respectively, we devised a relative inhibition assay and examined 100 samples from patients with respiratory tract infections. as a reference, samples were spiked with legio ...	2009	19747952
the amoebal map kinase response to legionella pneumophila is regulated by dupa.	the amoeba dictyostelium discoideum can support replication of legionella pneumophila. here we identify the dupa gene, encoding a putative tyrosine kinase/dual-specificity phosphatase, in a screen for d. discoideum mutants altered in allowing l. pneumophila intracellular replication. inactivation of dupa resulted in depressed l. pneumophila growth and sustained hyperphosphorylation of the amoebal map kinase erk1, consistent with loss of a phosphatase activity. bacterial challenge of wild-type am ...	2009	19748467
adverse events and efficacy of tnf-alpha blockade with infliximab in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: long-term follow-up of 13 patients.	to follow-up on all available infliximab-treated sle patients for safety and long-term efficacy in order to extract information that is useful for planning appropriate controlled trials with infliximab in sle.	2009	19748965
[waterborne diseases outbreaks in the czech republic, 1995-2005].	despite considerable advances in drinking water safety assurance and adherence to the public health standards, waterborne diaseases outbreaks have still been observed even in industrialized countries. the study objective was to map such outbreaks in the czech republic in 1995-2005. in this study, an outbreak is the occurrence of more cases of disease than normally expected within a specific place over a given period of time and a waterborne disease is a disease where water is the vehicle or sour ...	2009	19750823
legionella pneumophila in rainwater on roads.	during rain, transient puddles form on roads, and this water is splashed into the air by moving vehicles. to determine whether this water contains legionella pneumophila, we collected samples from roads. we found that l. pneumophila are abundant in these puddles, especially during warm weather.	2009	19751596
cellular pharmacokinetics and intracellular activity of torezolid (tr-700): studies with human macrophage (thp-1) and endothelial (huvec) cell lines.	optimal treatment of infections caused by staphylococcus aureus, listeria monocytogenes and legionella pneumophila requires antibiotics with intracellular activity. linezolid accumulates poorly within cells. torezolid (tr-700) is a novel methyltetrazolyl oxazolidinone with potentially different cellular pharmacokinetic properties. our aim was to examine the accumulation and intracellular activities of torezolid in this context.	2009	19759040
clinico-pathological study of atypical pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia: a prospective study.	atypical respiratory pathogens such as mycoplasma pneumoniae, legionella species, and chlamydia pneumoniae are isolated with increasing frequency from community-acquired pneumonia (cap). this study highlights the importance of organisms responsible for cap.	2009	19759475
detection of igm antibodies against legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in malaysian blood donors and patients with respiratory illnesses: evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect immunofluorescence assay.		2009	19762997
[a case of legionnaires' disease with abnormal neurological findings showing the corpus callosum abnormality on brain mri].	a 47-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of dysarthric speech and high fever. his brain magnetic resonance imaging (mri) showed high intensity in the splenium of the corpus callosum (scc) on diffusion-weighted and flair imaging. his chest ct showed ground-glass attenuation in bilateral lung upper lobes, and consolidation in the right lower lobe. because of his neurological findings and radiographic imaging, we started antibiotic therapy using quinolone, which is effective for legio ...	2009	19764515
endosomal and secretory markers of the legionella-containing vacuole.	the gram-negative opportunistic pathogen legionella pneumophila replicates in phagocytes within a specific compartment, the legionella-containing vacuole (lcv). formation of lcvs is a complex process requiring the bacterial icm/dot type iv secretion system and more than 100 translocated effector proteins, which putatively subvert cellular signaling and vesicle trafficking pathways. phosphoinositide (pi) glycerolipids are pivotal regulators of signal transduction and membrane dynamics in eukaryot ...	2009	19704903
legionella prevalence in wastewater treatment plants of taiwan.	legionella is a bacterium that is ubiquitous in natural and artificial aquatic environments. some species of legionella are recognized as opportunistic potential human pathogens. we investigated the distribution of legionella at seventeen wwtps throughout taiwan. legionella were detected in 10 of the 17 wwtps (58.8%) and 25 of 41 samples (61.0%). in the integrated, hospital, industrial and domestic wastewater systems were 13/18 (72.2%), 7/12 (58.3%), 2/7 (28.6%) and 3/4 (75.0%) of the samples we ...	2009	19717918
restriction of legionella pneumophila replication in macrophages requires concerted action of the transcriptional regulators irf1 and irf8 and nod-like receptors naip5 and nlrc4.	the unique permissiveness of a/j mouse macrophages for replication of legionella pneumophila is caused by a deficiency in the nod-like receptor (nlr) protein and intracellular sensor for l. pneumophila flagellin (naip5). the signaling pathways and proteins activated by naip5 sensing in macrophages were investigated. transcript profiling of macrophages from susceptible a/j mice and from resistant a/j mice harboring a transgenic wild-type copy of naip5 at 4 h following l. pneumophila infection sug ...	2009	19720760
interferons direct an effective innate response to legionella pneumophila infection.	legionella pneumophila remains an important opportunistic pathogen of human macrophages. its more limited ability to replicate in murine macrophages has been attributed to redundant innate sensor systems that detect and effectively respond to this infection. the current studies evaluate the role of one of these innate response systems, the type i interferon (ifn-i) autocrine loop. the ability of l. pneumophila to induce ifn-i expression was found to be dependent on irf-3, but not nf-kappab. secr ...	2009	19720834
many substrates and functions of type ii secretion: lessons learned from legionella pneumophila.	type ii secretion is one of six systems that exist in gram-negative bacteria for the purpose of secreting proteins into the extracellular milieu and/or into host cells. this article will review the various recent studies of legionella pneumophila that have increased our appreciation of the numbers, types and novelties of proteins that can be secreted via the type ii system, as well as the many ways in which type ii secretion can promote bacterial physiology, growth, ecology, intracellular infect ...	2009	19722835
[evaluation of seeplex pneumobacter multiplex pcr kit for the detection of respiratory bacterial pathogens in pediatric patients].	rapid identification of the causative agent among potential bacterial and viral pathogens is important for the management of acute respiratory disease. in this study, we evaluated the analytical performance and clinical usefulness of a recently-introduced multiplex pcr assay, seeplex pneumobacter detection kit (seegene inc., korea) for the identification of respiratory bacterial pathogens.	2009	19726892
innate immune response during yersinia infection: critical modulation of cell death mechanisms through phagocyte activation.	yersinia pestis, the etiological agent of plague, is one of the most deadly pathogens on our planet. this organism shares important attributes with its ancestral progenitor, yersinia pseudotuberculosis, including a 70-kb virulence plasmid, lymphotropism during growth in the mammalian host, and killing of host macrophages. infections with both organisms are biphasic, where bacterial replication occurs initially with little inflammation, followed by phagocyte influx, inflammatory cytokine producti ...	2009	19734471
pseudo-outbreak of legionnaires disease among patients undergoing bronchoscopy - arizona, 2008.	legionnaires disease (ld) is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia acquired by inhalation of aerosolized water containing legionella bacteria. legionella is a common cause of health-care--associated pneumonia, particularly in settings with hematopoietic stem-cell or solid-organ transplant recipients. on july 25, 2008, the arizona department of health services (adhs) notified cdc of four patients who had legionella cultured from specimens obtained during bronchoscopies performed at a medical cent ...	2009	19680220
the purified and recombinant legionella pneumophila chaperonin alters mitochondrial trafficking and microfilament organization.	a portion of the total cellular pool of the legionella pneumophila chaperonin, htpb, is found on the bacterial cell surface, where it can mediate invasion of nonphagocytic cells. htpb continues to be abundantly produced and released by internalized l. pneumophila and may thus have postinvasion functions. we used here two functional models (protein-coated beads and expression of recombinant proteins in cho cells) to investigate the competence of htpb in mimicking early intracellular trafficking e ...	2009	19687203
legionella pneumophila - host interactions: insights gained from comparative genomics and cell biology.	legionella pneumophila is the etiological agent of legionnaires' disease and of the less acute disease pontiac fever. it is a gram-negative bacterium present in fresh and artificial water environments that replicates in protozoan hosts and is also found in biofilms. replication within protozoa is essential for the survival of the bacterium. the last years have seen a giant step forward in the genomics of l. pneumophila. the establishment and publication of the complete genome sequences of three ...	2009	19696501
molecular mimicry: an important virulence strategy employed by legionella pneumophila to subvert host functions.	it is 32 years since legionella pneumophila was identified and recognized as a human pathogen, causing the severe form of pneumonia termed legionnaires' disease, or legionellosis. this bacterium is found in freshwater reservoirs where it replicates in aquatic protozoa and can invade man-made water distribution systems. although the disease can be treated by antibiotherapy and prevented through surveillance and control measures, reported cases of legionnaires' disease continue to rise across euro ...	2009	19659425
microbial characterization of water and biofilms in drinking water distribution systems at sport facilities.	the present study investigated the in situ microbial indicators' occurrence in water and biofilm in drinking water distribution systems of sport facilities such as gyms. the presence of legionella, such as a potential pathogen, was also verified. water and biofilm were contemporaneously collected and microbiologically analyzed. few colonies of coliforms were detected in biofilm but not in the corresponding water samples. conversely, some colonies of heterotrophs were counted at 22 degrees c in b ...	2009	19662828
[interpretation of diagnostic tests: comparison of five commercial tests for the diagnosis of legionella pneumophila in urine].		2009	19664860
a legionella type iv effector activates the nf-kappab pathway by phosphorylating the ikappab family of inhibitors.	nf-kappab is critical in innate immune defense responses against invading microbial pathogens. legionella pneumophila infection of lung macrophages causes legionnaire's disease with pneumonia symptoms. a set of nf-kappab-controlled genes involved in inflammation and anti-apoptosis are up-regulated in macrophages upon l. pneumophila infection in a legionella dot/icm type iv secretion system-dependent manner. among approximately 100 dot/icm substrates screened, we identified legk1 as the sole legi ...	2009	19666608
aetiology of, and risk factors for, recurrent community-acquired pneumonia.	recurrent community-acquired pneumonia (cap) requiring hospitalization is a matter of particular concern. however, current information on its prevalence, aetiology and risk factors is lacking. to address these issues, we performed an observational analysis of a prospective cohort of hospitalized adults with cap. recurrence was defined as two or more episodes of cap 1 month apart within 3 years. patients with severe immunosuppression or local predisposing factors were excluded. of the 1556 patien ...	2009	19673961
[control of intracellular legionella pneumophila growth--with special reference to the lgn1/naip5/birc1e gene--].		2009	19628930
legionella-induced sudden hearing loss: a rare complication.		2009	19629381
rna polymerase iii detects cytosolic dna and induces type i interferons through the rig-i pathway.	type i interferons (ifns) are important for antiviral and autoimmune responses. retinoic acid-induced gene i (rig-i) and mitochondrial antiviral signaling (mavs) proteins mediate ifn production in response to cytosolic double-stranded rna or single-stranded rna containing 5'-triphosphate (5'-ppp). cytosolic b form double-stranded dna, such as poly(da-dt)*poly(da-dt) [poly(da-dt)], can also induce ifn-beta, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. here, we show that the cytosolic poly(da-dt) dna ...	2009	19631370
[severe complications and their outcomes in 65 patients with legionella pneumonia].	the aim of the current study was to investigate the lethal complications of legionella pneumonia. severe complications and their outcomes in 65 patients with legionella pneumonia were studied. all patients who eventually had a fatal outcome or who had severe complications received antimicrobial agents active against legionella on the admission day. many patients in the severe complication category had multiple severe complications. six deaths occurred (mortality rate 9.2%), 4 of which were due t ...	2009	19637795
[successful treatment of legionella pneumonia with moxifloxacin in a hemodialysis patient].	moxifloxacin, a recent, new quinolone agent, has superior pharmacokinetics and appears to be safe for patients with renal failure, as it is mainly excreted in the bile. the case of a hemodialysis patient with legionella pneumonia who was successfully treated with moxifloxacin is reported. a 76-year-old woman, who had been on hemodialysis for chronic renal failure secondary to diabetic nephropathy, visited her hospital with a cough and fever. pneumonia was diagnosed, and intravenous administratio ...	2009	19637806
legionella pneumophila multiplication is enhanced by chronic ampk signalling in mitochondrially diseased dictyostelium cells.	human patients with mitochondrial diseases are more susceptible to bacterial infections, particularly of the respiratory tract. to investigate the susceptibility of mitochondrially diseased cells to an intracellular bacterial respiratory pathogen, we exploited the advantages of dictyostelium discoideum as an established model for mitochondrial disease and for legionella pneumophila pathogenesis. legionella infection of macrophages involves recruitment of mitochondria to the legionella-containing ...	2009	19638422
phospholipase plab of legionella pneumophila represents a novel lipase family: protein residues essential for lipolytic activity, substrate specificity, and hemolysis.	legionella pneumophila possesses several phospholipases capable of host cell manipulation and lung damage. recently, we discovered that the major cell-associated hemolytic phospholipase a (plab) shares no homology to described phospholipases and is dispensable for intracellular replication in vitro. nevertheless, here we show that plab is the major lipolytic activity in l. pneumophila cell infections and that plab utilizes a typical catalytic triad of ser-asp-his for effective hydrolysis of phos ...	2009	19640837
rapid pathogen-induced apoptosis: a mechanism used by dendritic cells to limit intracellular replication of legionella pneumophila.	dendritic cells (dcs) are specialized phagocytes that internalize exogenous antigens and microbes at peripheral sites, and then migrate to lymphatic organs to display foreign peptides to naïve t cells. there are several examples where dcs have been shown to be more efficient at restricting the intracellular replication of pathogens compared to macrophages, a property that could prevent dcs from enhancing pathogen dissemination. to understand dc responses to pathogens, we investigated the mechani ...	2009	19521510
amplified fragment-length polymorphism analysis.	amplified fragment length polymorphism (aflp) analysis is a universal polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-based dna fingerprinting technique comprising three main stages: (i) digestion of genomic dna with restriction endonucleases and ligation to double-stranded adaptors (each comprised of two oligonucleotides), thus creating restriction fragments with identical known adaptor sequences; (ii) specific amplification of a subset of these dna fragments using primers (one labeled) targeting the adaptor s ...	2009	19521869
distribution of lag-1 alleles and sequence-based types among legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 clinical and environmental isolates in the united states.	approximately 84% of legionellosis cases are due to legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. moreover, a majority of l. pneumophila serogroup 1 clinical isolates react positively with monoclonal antibody 2 (mab2) of the international standard panel. over 94% of the legionellosis outbreaks investigated by the centers for disease control and prevention are due to this subset of l. pneumophila serogroup 1. to date, there is no complete explanation for the enhanced ability of these strains to cause disea ...	2009	19553574
legionella lipoprotein activates toll-like receptor 2 and induces cytokine production and expression of costimulatory molecules in peritoneal macrophages.	legionella bacterium, an intracellular pathogen of mononuclear phagocytes, causes acute fatal pneumonia, especially in patients with impaired cellular immune responses. until recently, however, the toll-like receptor (tlr) engagement of bacterial proteins derived from legionella is uncertain. we previously showed that a 19-kda highly conserved peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (pal) of legionella pneumophila induced the pal-specific b cell and t cell responses in mice. in this study, we obser ...	2009	19561404
the perplexing functions and surprising origins of legionella pneumophila type iv secretion effectors.	only a limited number of bacterial pathogens evade destruction by phagocytic cells such as macrophages. legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative gamma-proteobacterial species that can infect and replicate in alveolar macrophages, causing legionnaires' disease, a severe pneumonia. l. pneumophila uses a complex secretion system to inject host cells with effector proteins capable of disrupting or altering the host cell processes. the l. pneumophila effectors target multiple processes but are essen ...	2009	19563462
cellular accumulation and pharmacodynamic evaluation of the intracellular activity of cem-101, a novel fluoroketolide, against staphylococcus aureus, listeria monocytogenes, and legionella pneumophila in human thp-1 macrophages.	cem-101 is a novel fluoroketolide with lower mics than those of telithromycin and macrolides. our aim was to assess the cellular accumulation and intracellular activity of cem-101 using models developed for analyzing the pharmacokinetics and pharmacological properties of antibiotics against phagocytized bacteria. we used thp-1 macrophages and staphylococcus aureus (atcc 25923 [methicillin (meticillin) sensitive]), listeria monocytogenes (strain egd), and legionella pneumophila (atcc 33153). cem- ...	2009	19564365
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for 59 days without changing the ecmo circuit: a case of legionella pneumonia.	we report the successful use of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ecmo) in a 53-year-old patient with legionella pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards) with severe barotraumas. the patient was supported for 59 days without any changes in the ecmo circuit. this is probably the longest support ever reported using the same oxygenator.	2009	19567548
the colonization of hot water systems by legionella.	this study surveyed legionella in 805 samples taken from 18 hot water systems under operating conditions. the results were analyzed and discussed in relation to water temperature, legislative requirements and optimization of the systems. the temperature of most samples (71%) ranged from 45-60 degrees c. the highest levels of colonization by l. pneumophila were found at water temperatures from 30-35 degrees c. at temperatures above 50 degrees c there was a large decrease in the number of positive ...	2009	19572483
temporal resolution of two-tracked nf-kappab activation by legionella pneumophila.	the intracellular pathogen legionella pneumophila activates the transcription factor nf-kappab in macrophages and human epithelial cells, contributing to cytokine production and anti-apoptosis. the former is important for the innate immune response to infection, the latter for intracellular replication by securing host cell survival. here, we demonstrate biphasic activation of nf-kappab by l. pneumophila in human epithelial cells, using a p65-gfp expressing variant of a549 cells. early in infect ...	2009	19573161
development of a multichannel flow-through chemiluminescence microarray chip for parallel calibration and detection of pathogenic bacteria.	pathogen detection is important for health and safety reasons. several outbreaks all over the world have shown the need for rapid, qualitative, quantitative, and, particularly, multianalyte detection systems. hence, a multichannel flow-through chemiluminescence microarray chip for parallel detection of pathogenic bacteria was developed. the disposable chip made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (abs) copolymer was devised as a support for a multiplexed sandwich immunoassay. calibration and meas ...	2009	19575190
severe q fever community-acquired pneumonia (cap) mimicking legionnaires' disease: clinical significance of cold agglutinins, anti-smooth muscle antibodies and thrombocytosis.	atypical community-acquired pneumonia (cap) may be caused by zoonotic or nonpulmonary pathogens. however, atypical pathogens are systemic infectious disease accompanied by pneumonia in contrast with typical bacterial pathogens with infection limited to the lungs and absent extrapulmonary findings. clinically and radiologically, the atypical cap pathogens that most closely resemble each other are psittacosis, q fever, and legionnaires' disease. psittacosis can usually be readily suspected or elim ...	2009	19577708
chemical genetics reveals bacterial and host cell functions critical for type iv effector translocation by legionella pneumophila.	delivery of effector proteins is a process widely used by bacterial pathogens to subvert host cell functions and cause disease. effector delivery is achieved by elaborate injection devices and can often be triggered by environmental stimuli. however, effector export by the l. pneumophila icm/dot type ivb secretion system cannot be detected until the bacterium encounters a target host cell. we used chemical genetics, a perturbation strategy that utilizes small molecule inhibitors, to determine th ...	2009	19578436
pathogenicity of the family legionellaceae.	the legionellae are gram-negative bacteria able to survive and replicate in a wide range of protozoan hosts in natural environments, but they also occur in man-made aquatic systems, which are the major source of infection. after transmission to humans via aerosols, legionella spp. can cause pneumonia (legionnaires' disease) or influenza-like respiratory infections (pontiac fever). in children, legionnaires' disease is uncommon and is mainly diagnosed in children with immunosuppression. the clini ...	2009	19578813
a cluster of cases of nosocomial legionnaires disease linked to a contaminated hospital decorative water fountain.	nosocomial outbreaks of legionnaires disease have been linked to contaminated water in hospitals. immunocompromised patients are particularly vulnerable and, when infected, have a high mortality rate. we report the investigation of a cluster of cases of nosocomial pneumonia attributable to legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 that occurred among patients on our stem cell transplantation unit.	2009	19580436
first reported united states case of legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 pneumonia in a patient receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy.	legionellosis has been reported to be an extremely rare disease in hawai'i. the authors report a case of a 67-year-old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis treated with long-term adalimumab who developed severe right-sided community-acquired pneumonia and a parapneumonic effusion. legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was confirmed as the microbiologic cause based on a positive urine legionella antigen as well as direct fluorescent antibody and legionella culture of bronchoalveolar lavage. ...	2009	19583105
an unusual case of hospital-acquired infection: legionella longbeachae.		2009	19585301
the clinical efficacy of fluoroquinolone and macrolide combination therapy compared with single-agent therapy against community-acquired pneumonia caused by legionella pneumophila.		2009	19592113
genome-scale identification of legionella pneumophila effectors using a machine learning approach.	a large number of highly pathogenic bacteria utilize secretion systems to translocate effector proteins into host cells. using these effectors, the bacteria subvert host cell processes during infection. legionella pneumophila translocates effectors via the icm/dot type-iv secretion system and to date, approximately 100 effectors have been identified by various experimental and computational techniques. effector identification is a critical first step towards the understanding of the pathogenesis ...	2009	19593377
[low mortality rate in an outbreak of legionnaires' disease: correlation with the cytopathogenity study].	in 2001 an outbreak of legionnaires' diseases occurred in murcia, spain, with one of the lowest known rates of associated mortality. we describe the clinical data of a subgroup of patients, and present the results from molecular and virulence studies to correlate the lower mortality of the overall series with the strain virulence.	2009	19595380
[a case of legionella pneumonia with diabetic ketoacidosis rescued despite the development of acute renal failure and ards].	a 57-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of general fatigue and appetite loss. the initial chest radiograph showed infiltration in the left upper lung field. cefozopran was administered. concomitant diabetic ketoacidosis was treated with hydration and rapid-acting insulin. however he was intubated and ventilated because of deteriorated respiratory condition and ketoacidosis on the 3rd hospital day. urinary legionella antigen was detected the same day, therefore ciprofloxacin an ...	2009	19601525
direct sequencing of legionella pneumophila from respiratory samples for sequence-based typing analysis.	we have developed a procedure to test the efficiency and reliability of sequencing of legionella pneumophila genes directly from respiratory samples and have compared the results with those derived from cultured isolates. we tried to obtain the nucleotide sequences of six protein-coding loci included in the sequence-based typing scheme for legionella pneumophila and three intergenic regions from 132 samples corresponding to 106 patients positive for urine antigen. a seminested pcr approach was u ...	2009	19605573
sequence-based and monoclonal antibody typing of legionella pneumophila isolated from patients in portugal during 1987-2008.	the monoclonal antibodies and the sequence-based typing (sbt) are two methodologies widely used to characterise legionella pneumophila strains serogroup 1 (sg1). in this study, we analysed the clinical strains received in two portuguese laboratories since 1987, including the strains isolated in portugal during the four years of the surveillance scheme for legionnaires' disease implemented in 2004. in total, 63 clinical isolates of l. pneumophila sg1 were differentiated by sbt into 19 different s ...	2009	19607780
legionella as a cause of hyperpyrexia.		2009	19619052
nosocomial legionellosis: prevention and management.	legionnaires' disease (ld) can be nosocomial, community acquired or travel related. the source of legionella infection is potable water systems that become colonized by the microorganism. prevention studies involved mainly hospital water systems. different strategies have been suggested but none are fully successful: engineering modifications, heating of water to temperatures above 59 degrees c, heating and flushing the plumbing with hot water (80 degrees c), water chlorination, silver-copper io ...	2009	19622057
mycotic aortic aneurysm associated with legionella anisa.	legionella anisa is rarely associated with human disease. its gene was identified by broad-range pcr in whole blood and excised tissue from a patient with a culture-negative mycotic aneurysm and was considered as a possible pathogen. this case report is potentially useful for the future diagnosis of intravascular infection.	2009	19458178
[using real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of legionella in objects of the environment].	to assess efficacy of using the method of quantitative detection of legionella in objects of the environment by real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr).	2009	19459484
laboratory-based evaluation of legionellosis epidemiology in ontario, canada, 1978 to 2006.	legionellosis is a common cause of severe community acquired pneumonia and respiratory disease outbreaks. the ontario public health laboratory (ophl) has conducted most testing for legionella species in the canadian province of ontario since 1978, and represents a multi-decade repository of population-based data on legionellosis epidemiology. we sought to provide a laboratory-based review of the epidemiology of legionellosis in ontario over the past 3 decades, with a focus on changing rates of d ...	2009	19460152
comparison of clinical and environmental samples of legionella pneumophila at the nucleotide sequence level.	legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 is the most common etiological agent of legionellosis. we have used clinical and environmental isolates from different sources to compare their genetic variability. we have obtained the nucleotide sequence for six protein-coding loci, included in the sbt scheme for l. pneumophila, and three intergenic regions from 127 samples, 47 of environmental origin and 80 from clinical samples. levels of genetic variability were found to be higher in the environmental than ...	2009	19465160
free-living protozoa in two unchlorinated drinking water supplies, identified by phylogenic analysis of 18s rrna gene sequences.	free-living protozoan communities in water supplies may include hosts for legionella pneumophila and other undesired bacteria, as well as pathogens. this study aimed at identifying free-living protozoa in two unchlorinated groundwater supplies, using cultivation-independent molecular approaches. for this purpose, samples (<20 degrees c) of treated water, distributed water, and distribution system biofilms were collected from supply a, with a low concentration of natural organic matter (nom) (<0. ...	2009	19465529
bathwater-associated cases of legionellosis in japan, with a special focus on legionella concentrations in water.	to evaluate the relationship between the incidence of legionellosis and legionella concentrations in bathwater, we sent a questionnaire to 76 prefectural and municipal public health laboratories in japan and found that 35 had encountered cases of legionellosis and had implemented investigations to determine the sources of the infections. based on the results of the questionnaire, we were able to analyze various characteristics of the patients, of the facilities that were thought to be associated ...	2009	19468181
mutational paths towards increased fluoroquinolone resistance in legionella pneumophila.	fluoroquinolone resistance has been poorly studied in legionella pneumophila, an intracellular pathogen responsible for legionellosis. our goal was to further characterize molecular mechanisms involved in fluoroquinolone resistance in this species.	2009	19474069
phenotypic heterogeneity within microbial populations at the single-cell level investigated by confocal raman microspectroscopy.	single cells in genetically homogeneous microbial cultures exhibit marked phenotypic heterogeneity that is considered to bolster the fitness of the whole population. heterogeneity on the single-cell level is typically masked in conventional studies of microbial populations, which rely on data averaged across thousands or millions of cells in a sample. here we introduce confocal raman microspectroscopy as a method for investigating and illustrating the spatial heterogeneity of microbial cell popu ...	2009	19475141
region of elongation factor 1a1 involved in substrate recognition by legionella pneumophila glucosyltransferase lgt1: identification of lgt1 as a retaining glucosyltransferase.	lgt1 is one of the glucosyltransferases produced by the gram-negative bacterium legionella pneumophila. this enzyme modifies eukaryotic elongation factor 1a (eef1a) at serine 53, which leads to inhibition of protein synthesis and death of target cells. here we studied the region of eef1a, which is essential for substrate recognition by lgt1. we report that the decapeptide (50)gkgsfkyawv(59) of eef1a is efficiently modified by lgt1. this peptide covers the loop of the helix-loop-helix region form ...	2009	19478083
[legionella and legionnaires' disease: what do we know?]		2009	19481374
proteomic analysis of legionella-containing phagosomes isolated from dictyostelium.	legionella pneumophila, the agent of legionnaires' disease, replicates intracellularly within specialized phagosomes of human macrophages and amoebae. in this study, we have developed a protocol for the isolation of legionella-containing phagosomes from dictyostelium discoideum. cell fractionation, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and maldi-tof ms combined with genomic data identified 157 phagosome host proteins. in addition to proteins with an evident role in phagosome maturation, we identif ...	2009	19482547
the antibacterial activity of fragrance ingredients against legionella pneumophila.	in the current study we investigated the antibacterial activity of fragrance ingredients against legionella pneumophila, a causative agent of severe pneumonia. among the 41 different fragrance ingredients tested, we found that the natural fragrance ingredients oakmoss (om) and birch tar oil (bt), which contain many components, exhibit potent antibacterial activity. the minimum inhibitory concentration (mic, % (v/v)) of om and bt were 0.0020 and 0.0024, respectively and were lower than that of ci ...	2009	19483326
contribution of phosphatidylserine to membrane surface charge and protein targeting during phagosome maturation.	during phagocytosis, the phosphoinositide content of the activated membrane decreases sharply, as does the associated surface charge, which attracts polycationic proteins. the cytosolic leaflet of the plasma membrane is enriched in phosphatidylserine (ps); however, a lack of suitable probes has precluded investigation of the fate of this phospholipid during phagocytosis. we used a recently developed fluorescent biosensor to monitor the distribution and dynamics of ps during phagosome formation a ...	2009	19487458
transcriptional down-regulation and rrna cleavage in dictyostelium discoideum mitochondria during legionella pneumophila infection.	bacterial pathogens employ a variety of survival strategies when they invade eukaryotic cells. the amoeba dictyostelium discoideum is used as a model host to study the pathogenic mechanisms that legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of legionnaire's disease, uses to kill eukaryotic cells. here we show that the infection of d. discoideum by l. pneumophila results in a decrease in mitochondrial messenger rnas, beginning more than 8 hours prior to detectable host cell death. these changes can ...	2009	19492077
potentially pathogenic amoeba-associated microorganisms in cooling towers and their control.	cooling towers provide a favorable environment for the proliferation of microorganisms. cooling towers generate a biofilm and often aerosolize contaminated water, thereby increasing the risk of microorganism dissemination by human inhalation. this pathogen dissemination was first revealed by the epidemics of legionnaires' disease that were directly related to the presence of cooling towers, and since then, the ecology of legionella pneumophila has been well studied. each country has specific sta ...	2009	19492970
severe concurrent lung infection caused by legionella and mycoplasma in a 3-year-old patient with down syndrome and tuberous sclerosis.		2009	19500283
legionella pneumophila goes clonal--paris and lorraine strain-specific risk factors.		2009	19508166
host-related risk factors and clinical features of community-acquired legionnaires disease due to the paris and lorraine endemic strains, 1998-2007, france.	in france, legionnaires disease is mainly caused by legionella pneumophila. here, we investigated possible host factors associated with susceptibility to community-acquired legionnaires disease caused by the endemic paris and lorraine strains.	2009	19508168
modulation of membrane traffic between endoplasmic reticulum, ergic and golgi to generate compartments for the replication of bacteria and viruses.	several bacteria and viruses remodel cellular membranes to form compartments specialised for replication. bacteria replicate within inclusions which recruit membrane vesicles from the secretory pathway to provide nutrients for microbial growth and division. viruses generate densely packed membrane vesicles called viroplasm which provide a platform to recruit host and viral proteins necessary for replication. this review describes examples where both intracellular bacteria (salmonella, chlamydia ...	2009	19508853
[case of legionella pneumonia caused by a household humidifier].	a 60-year-old-man with diabetes mellitus was admitted to our hospital because of pyrexia of up to 40 degrees and dyspnea. chest radiograph revealed ground glass infiltrates in both lung fields. legionella pneumonia was diagnosed as a consequence of the urinary examination performed for legionella antigen detection; further, we initiated intravenous pazufloxacin administration. despite an antibiotic, sivelestat sodium, and mechanical ventilation, the condition of the patient worsened and he died ...	2009	19514500
[topical aspects of hot water supply to the population].	the aspects of hot water supply, which determine the safety of hot water delivered to the population, are considered. the authors underline the antiepidemic value of hot water temperature maintenance at the water pumping points of not below 60 degrees c as only this measure liably prevents water multiplication of legionella pneumophila that induces legionellosis, a severe disease, as well as other high temperature-resistant microorganisms. the results of estimating the residential use of hot wat ...	2009	19517595
[atypical and opportunistic pulmonary infections after cardiac surgery].	new diseases and therapies that lead to marked immunocompromise, have brought to medicine so-called opportunistic infections, caused by pathogens that usually do not cause disease in the presence of a healthy immune system. first diagnosed in aids patients, opportunistic infections have appeared in many other situations, including transplant recipients, other immunosuppressed patients, and even in otherwise healthy patients undergoing major elective surgery. among the most common pathogens causi ...	2009	19517677
chemical structure and biological significance of lipopolysaccharide from legionella.	legionella are aerobic, gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped bacteria, which form a distinct taxonomic unit within the gamma - 2 subdivision of the proteobacteria. the reservoirs of legionella are natural or man-made water systems where the bacteria survive and disseminate as obligate intracellular parasites of free living protozoa. in the human lung, the bacteria invade alveolar macrophages inducing the potentially lethal pneumonia commonly known as legionnaires' disease. although all legionella s ...	2009	19519544
[study of legionella pneumophila strains isolated from environmental objects].	the paper presents the results of studying the biological properties of legionella pneumophila strains isolated from environmental objects. elective legionellosis medium (elm) has been found to be suitable for the isolation of the causative agent from the starting material and to be as sensitive as cye (oxoid company) containing growth and selective additives. polymerase chain reaction (pcr) with a home-produced commercial test system used to detect l. pneumophila dna enables identification of t ...	2009	20143509
water quality in water lines of dental units in the public dental health service in göteborg, sweden.	presence of bacteria in high levels in the water lines of dental units is well known. the extent of this problem is however less well studied.this study was conducted to evaluate the water quality of all dental units within the public dental health service (folktandvården, ftv) of the city of göteborg, sweden. 405 dental units in 35 clinics were tested.the evaluation included both "fast growing" (2 days incubation) and "slow growing" (7 days incubation) bacteria in 50 ml water sample from the un ...	2009	20162927
amoebal pathogens as emerging causal agents of pneumonia.	abstract despite using modern microbiological diagnostic approaches, the aetiological agents of pneumonia remain unidentified in about 50% of cases. some bacteria that grow poorly or not at all in axenic media used in routine clinical bacteriology laboratory but which can develop inside amoebae may be the agents of these lower respiratory tract infections (rtis) of unexplained aetiology. such amoebae-resisting bacteria, which coevolved with amoebae to resist their microbicidal machinery, may hav ...	2009	20113355
[analysis of prevalence and variability of legionella pneumophila and legionella spp. strains on the basis of study of allelic profiles].	to analyze prevalence and variability of legionella strains isolated in town verkhnaya pyshma located in sverdlovsk region during prophylactic surveillance of potentially dangerous water objects in 2007 - 2008.	2009	20095417
[severe form of legionnaires' disease in an immunocompetent patient].	legionnaires' disease (ld) is a pneumonia caused by legionella pneumophila (lp). the disease occurs more often in immunocompromised persons and can be manifested by severe pneumonia, multiple organ failure and has a high mortality.	2009	20095523
evaluation of three immunochromatographic assays for detection of legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen in urine samples.	the uni-gold, the sas and the binax now immunochromatographic test (ict) urinary antigen assays for the qualitative detection of legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 were compared using 39 unfrozen and nonconcentrated urine samples from patients with legionnaires disease (ld). the uni-gold antigen test detected the urinary antigen in 41% (16/39), the sas antigen test in 61.5% (24/39), and the binax now antigen test in 74.3% (29/39). the binax now ict assay showed the best results when detecting l. ...	2009	20082041
suspected legionella-induced perimyocarditis in an adult in the absence of pneumonia: a rare clinical entity.	legionella infection can manifest itself in many clinical forms, most commonly as pneumonia, but rarely in the form of myocardial involvement. legionella with myocardial involvement independent of pneumonia is almost never seen in the adult population and therefore is cited only a handful of times in the medical literature. when reported, legionella carditis itself typically occurs as an isolated pericarditis with effusion. cases of isolated legionella with myocardial involvement, but without as ...	2009	20069090
[radiologic manifestations of legionnaire's disease].		2009	20058333
[investigation on strains of legionella pneumophila, isolated from a hospital of milano, with three genotyping methods].	various techniques have been developed in recent years for the molecular typing of microorganisms. remains particularly difficult to isolate clinical strains for the low availability of cases and even more problematic matching clinical / environmental strains. we investigated 13 strains of legionella pneumophila of clinical and environmental origin, isolated in 3 health facilities in milan (2003-2006), using three molecular typing methods: pulse-field gel electrophoresis, amplified fragment leng ...	2009	20058542
[experience accumulated in hospital setting with levofloxacin, in monotherapy and in association therapy].	levofloxacin possesses a wide antimicrobial spectrum which encompasses gram positive (also including penicillin-resistant streptococcus pneumoniae) and gram negative, and atypical respiratory pathogens chlamydia pneumoniae, legionella pneumophila and mycoplasma pneumoniae) as well. comparative clinical studies (macrolides, beta-lactams, and other fluoroquinolones), have evidenced bacteriological and clinical efficacy in community-acquired pneumonia (cap), acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis ...	2009	20424535
a combined molecular typing approach does not discriminate legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 strains of a predominant sequence-based type in palermo, italy.	the sequence-based type 1,4,3,1,1,1 of legionella pneumophila sg.1 is predominant in the palermo city environment since several years. in this study, extended sequence-based typing and pulsed field gel electrophoresis were used in a combined approach in the aim to enhance discriminatory power of the molecular typing procedures. however, probably due to a common environmental reservoir and genetic stability, most of the strains circulating in the geographic area under study belong to the same clo ...	2009	20701881
replication of legionella pneumophila in biofilms of water distribution pipes.	biofilms similar to those present in water distribution pipes of anthropogenic aquatic systems were simulated in a rotating annular reactor using a non-legionella community consisting of aeromonas hydrophila, escherichia coli, flavobacterium breve and pseudomonas aeruginosa. the impact of this community and acanthamoeba castellanii on the replication of legionella pneumophila was investigated. despite the presence of 10(7) non-legionella bacteria, culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction ...	2009	17644359
profiling of environmental legionella pneumophila strains by randomly amplified polymorphic dna method isolated from geographically nearby buildings.	legionella pneumophila (l. pneumophila) which is also known as etiologic agent legionnaires disease lives in natural water and man made water systems. these bacteria belonging to legionellaceae family are divided 15 serogroups. phenotypical methods used for the identification of legionella isolates are not very discriminatory. in this study we investigated genotypic features of eight l. pneumophila serogroup 1 and 18 l. pneumophila serogroup 2-14 strains isolated from different buildings in ista ...	2009	18283549
[biologic therapy and infections].	biologic therapy is an important therapeutic arsenal in rheumatic diseases. anti-tnf therapies affect host defenses against infections, since tnf mediates inflammation and modulates cellular immune responses. cases of tuberculosis have been observed in patients treated with tnf antagonists, mainly due to the presence of latent or "dormant" tuberculosis infection (ltb1). other microorganisms responsible for the infectious complications associated with biologic therapy are generally intracellular ...	2008	21794348
[infections related to recreational waters].	recreational waters are a source of infection by several microorganisms causing acute gastrointestinal, cutaneous and respiratory illnesses. cryptosporidium, noroviruses and enteropathogenic escherichia coli strains are the most important causes of diarrhea, while pseudomonas and staphylococcus aureus are the main causes of cutaneous infections, and legionella is the major cause of acute lower respiratory disease. approximately 90% of outbreaks occur in treated recreational waters (swimming pool ...	2008	19100165
suppression of dendritic cell activation by anthrax lethal toxin and edema toxin depends on multiple factors including cell source, stimulus used, and function tested.	bacillus anthracis produces lethal toxin (lt) and edema toxin (et), and they suppress the function of lps-stimulated dendritic cells (dcs). because dcs respond differently to various microbial stimuli, we compared toxin effects in bone marrow dcs stimulated with either lps or legionella pneumophila (lp). lt, not et, was more toxic for cells from balb/c than from c57bl/6 (b6) as measured by 7-aad uptake; however, et suppressed cd11c expression. lt suppressed il-12, il-6, and tnf-alpha in cells fr ...	2008	18821847
non-opsonic phagocytosis of legionella pneumophila by macrophages is mediated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.	legionella pneumophila, is an intracellular pathogen that causes legionnaires' disease in humans, a potentially lethal pneumonia. l. pneumophila has the ability to enter and replicate in the host and is essential for pathogenesis.	2008	18830409
tnf receptor 1 and 2 contribute in different ways to resistance to legionella pneumophila-induced mortality in mice.	legionella pneumophila is one of the most important pathogens which cause community-acquired pneumonia. although tnf-alpha is considered to play an important role in response to bacteria, the role of the tnf-alpha receptor on l. pneumophila infection remains to be elucidated. to investigate this, we infected tnf receptor deficient mice with l. pneumophila. l. pneumophila was inoculated intranasally into tnf receptor (tnfr)-1-knock-out mice or tnfr2-knock-out mice. the mortality rate, histology o ...	2008	18838275
long-term survival of legionella pneumophila in the viable but nonculturable state after monochloramine treatment.	legionella pneumophila, a facultative intracellular human pathogen, can persist for long periods in natural and artificial aquatic environments. eradication of this bacterium from plumbing systems is often difficult. we tested l. pneumophila survival after monochloramine treatment. survival was monitored using the baclight bacterial viability kit (molecular probes), chemchrome v6 kit (chemunex), quantitative polymerase chain reaction and culturability on buffered charcoal-yeast extract agar. in ...	2008	18839249